How can Religious Education
profit from Ethnographic Studies?
International Conference
Bremen 30.10.03
Heid Leganger-Krogstad
University of Oslo
Educational Department
Contextual approach to RE
through use of ethnographic /
anthropological methods
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Religion as a phenomenon in life (Alfred Schutz)
Children’s experience as basis for education
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Focus on ability – opposite “not-yet-adult-human-beings”
Religion as it is empirically observable in society and
lifeworld (lebenswelt )
Teacher trainers, students and pupils make use of
ethnographic studies: participant observation, field
studies, interviews and historical studies in context
Give priority to first-hand experiences – and not
teach only through second-hand experiences
Contextual didactics
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Article in the Festschrift for Jürgen Lott
explains contextual didactics in a
multicultural north of Norway setting
In this case: discussed in an urban
perspective – (Oslo)
Children’s explorative way of behaviour as an ideal for
education – systematic and reflective use in a
classroom setting
Material manifestations of religion used with the
intention of making religion more perceivable for the
younger pupils
Religion as a perspective on life – in a mainly secular
school setting
Religious ”wirkungsgeschichte” in local environment
global
Europe
firsthand
experiences
nation
region
local society
schooldistrict
neighbourhood
friends /
neighbours
family
kindergarten/
school
travels/visitors
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imagination/
fiction
play/ drama
Media/ ICT/
literature
secondhand
experiences
Religious practice through artefacts
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Cultural landscape, architecture, historical signs, monuments
Music, art, symbols, traditions, language and use of names
Holy texts, narratives and songs
Institutions and values
Clothing, food, days and hours, rites, rituals, customs,
behaviour
Events, discussions in media
Attitude to natural environment
Members and leaders
Impressions from Oslo
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Short trip into the city with the teacher training
students
Written task: signs of God in the city
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Reflections on the notion of religion
Pupils: customs in my family
Observations in the local community
Visiting holy houses in the neighbourhood, historical
sites and monuments
Analysing newspapers and the coloured press
Participant obervation in use in upper
secondary education
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Carin Laudrup: Example of RE in Denmark
Cogree Conference in Vienna
2– 5 May 2002
RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES FIELD WORK –UPPER SECONDARY
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experienced reality
social context
smells, breaths, moves
”the frozen moment”
objective
a goal in itself
subjective
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personal experience
Facts about Norway
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The ‘waste’ land without
people (3000 km from south
to north)
13.8 inhabitants pro km2
(Germany: 230)
Young nation – outside EU
Going from poverty to
richness in 30 years
Ideals of equality
Local history and identity
important
New immigrants in urban
areas
One school for all
(Einheitsschule)
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comprehensive school for 98.3 % of all children –
10 years from age of 6
local school (mirrors the local culture)
all children integrated
streaming not allowed
permanent differentiation or segregation not allowed
equal opportunities
no formal assessment before age 13
3 years further education - open to all - differentiated
Norway – pluralistic society today?
Multireligious?
 Population: 4.5 million
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4. 100 000 Christians
– 3,900 000 members of Church of Norway
70 000 Muslims
8 000 Buddhist
2 700 Hindus
2 500 Sikhs
1 000 Jews (Official statistics of religions 01.01.02)
Actual presence of multireligious plurality
is quite small, but ….
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Actual plurality – not a question of numbers only
The presence of one single Muslim child in a
classroom - alters the situation
Global plurality affects every classroom
Modern plurality is visible on many levels: national,
institutional, congregational, group and individual
Information flow makes a variety of life interpretation
and world views part of children’s world
Changes in RE in Norway during 30
years
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From a confessional monoreligious model 1974
Via a parallel model – 1987
To a common non-confessional multireligious
model -1997________________
Historic lecture presented in Zürich:
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http://folk.uio.no/heidl/
http://www.paed.unizh.ch/institut/home/download_aktuell/Refer
atLeganger.pdf
KRL: Christentums-, Religions- und
Lebengestaltungskunde
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Common classroom – dialogical room
Regular school subject
Formal curriculum – Parliamentary decision
Primary religious education - in the families and in religious
institutions
Text books – responsibility for the publishers without any
influence from religious institutions
Teacher – regardless of confessional background
Total 780 lessons in the course of 10 years
School subject
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Global view & contextually based
curriculum
Nationally decided common core
curriculum &
local adaptation
up to 50 % at primary stage
up to 30 % at secondary stage
References:
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Birkedal, Erling. 1994. "Church and School in Norway." PANORAMA International Journal
of Comparative Religions Education and Values 6:48-56.
Enger, Trond. 1998. "Religious Education for all pupils - The Norwegian Way." PANORAMA
International Journal of Comparative Religions Education and Values 10:122-134.
—. 2001. "Religious Education for all Pupils stands Trial - the Norwegian Experimence after
three years." Panorama 13:77-87.
Haakedal, Elisabet. 2001a. "Contextual Teaching and Learning in Religious Education." Pp.
165179 in Towards Religious Competence : Diversity as a Challenge for Education in
Europe, edited by H.-G. Heimbrock, C. T. Scheilke, and P. Schreiner. Münster / Hamburg /
Berlin / London: LIT Verlag,165179.
—. 2001b. "From Lutheran Catechism to World Religions and Humanism : Dilemmas and
Middle Ways through the Story of Norwegian Religious Education." British Journal of
Religious Education 23:88-97.
Heimbrock, H.-G. (Ed.). (1998). Religionspädagogik und Phämenologie : von der
empirischen Wendung zur Lebenswelt. Weinheim: Deutscher Studien Verlag.
Heimbrock, H.-G. (2001). Religion lernen vor Ort. Schönberger Hefte, 2001(3), 2-9
KUF. 1990. Curriculum guidelines for compulsory education in Norway. M87 English
edition. Oslo: Aschehoug / The Ministry of Education and Research.
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—. 1999. "National Curriculum for Compulsory School (Læreplanverket for den
10-årige grunnskolen - 1996)." vol. 2001: Royal Ministry of Education,
Research and Church affairs.
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Leganger-Krogstad, Heid. 1997. "Religious Education in the Norwegian School System."
Pp. 171-183 in Religion, church and education in the Barents Region, edited by R. E.
Kristiansen and N. M. Terebichin. Arkhangelsk: Publishers of Pomor State University,171183.
—. 2001. "Religious Education in a Global Perspective : A Contextual Approach." Pp. 53-73
in Towards Religious Competence : Diversity as a Challenge for Education in Europe,
edited by H.-G. Heimbrock, C. T. Scheilke, and P. Schreiner. Münster / Hamburg / Berlin /
London: LIT Verlag,53-73.
—. 2003. "Dialogue among young citizens in a pluralistic religious education classroom."
Pp. 169-190 in International Perspectives on Citizenship, Education and Religious
Diversity, edited by R. Jackson. London: RoutledgeFalmer,169-190.
Leirvik, Oddbjørn. 1999. "Theology, Religious Studies and Religious Education." Pp. 75-83
in Diversity as Ethos : Challenges for Interreligious and Intercultural Education, edited by D.
Chidester, J. Stonier, and J. Tobler. Cape Town: University of Cape Town ICRSA,75-83.
Læringssenteret. 2002. KRL-boka : Kristendoms-, religions- og livssynskunnskap :
Læreplan for den 10-årige grunnskolen : Læreplanveiledning : Rundskriv om KRL-faget og
begrenset fritak : Informasjon til foreldre og skjema for delvis fritak. Oslo: Læringssenteret.
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NOU1995:9. Official Norwegian Report: Identitet og dialog :
kristendomskunnskap, livssynskunnskap og religionsundervisning (Identity and
dialogue. Christian knowledge and religious and ethical education). Oslo: KUF.
Rasmussen, Tarald. 2000. "The New Norwegian "KRL" Subject and Religious
Freedom: a Report." Studia Theologica 54:19-34.
Selander, Sven-Åke. 1999. "State, Church and School in the Scandinavian
countries - in a European perspective." Pp. 54-75 in Into the third Millenium :
EFTRE conference August 1998 in Copenhagen, vol. 31, Årsbok 1999, edited
by N.-Å. Tidman. Malmö: Föreningen lärare i religionskunskap,54-75.
Østberg, Sissel. 1997. "Religious Education in a Multicultural Society: The
quest for Identity and Dialog." Pp. 147-154 in Crossing Boundaries :
Contributions to Interreligious and Intercultural Education, edited by T. Andree,
C. Bakker, and P. Schreiner. Münster: Comenius-Institut,147-154.
http://folk.uio.no/heidl/